Railway journal box lid seal



y 21, 1968 J. J. HENNESSY, JR 3,384,381

RAILWAY JOURNAL BOX LID SEAL Filed Aug. 4, 1966 ATTORNEYS United StatesPatent 3,384,381 RAILWAY JOURNAL BOX LID SEAL James J. Hennessy, Jr.,Chambersburg, Pa., assignor to Hennessy Lubricator Co., Inc.,Chambersburg, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 4, 1966, Ser.No. 579,201 6 Claims. (Cl. 277-10) The invention relates to railwayjournal boxes of the type having an open outer end and a plate-like lidfor closing the opening hinged to the outer end of one Wall of the boxand normally spring-pressed to a position in which it engages the outerends of the other walls to close the box opening.

The invention includes a seal in the form of a flat open rectangularframe of rubber-like material between the lid and the ends of the boxwalls and the seal is attached to the lid by C-shaped stiff metal springclips each having a pair of jaws receiving between them the marginalportion of the lid. Such seal structure is disclosed in United StatesPatent 3,161,444 issued to the present inventor, and while useful forits intended purpose, is not readily applied to and removed from the lidand is susceptible to disalignment with the ends of box walls and it isdesired to modify and supplement the seal to facilitate its applicationto and removal from a journal lid and to increase its effective sealingqualities.

This object is attained by providing the open rectangular seal with astiffening member holding the seal to its contour and to which theattaching clips are secured, without materially decreasing the capacityof the seal to flex transversely of its general plane according to theirregularities of the opposing surfaces of the box and lid, and by theprovision of a simple lever-like applicator engageable with the edge ofthe stiffener member as Well as the edge of the lid to spread opposingclip jaws apart for ready insertion of the lid margin between them andto facilitate removal of the seal from the lid.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment of theinvention:

FIG. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the forward portion ofan Association of American Railroads (A.A.R.) standard axle journal boxhaving the improved seal mounted on its lid.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the seal, sectioned in part to betterillustrate the structure, and showing an applying and removal toolassembled therewith.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section through the lid and seal on the line 33of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a similar detail section on line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and on a largerscale, but showing the seal only.

FIG. 5 is perspective of the seal during its application to the box lid.

FIG. 6 is a similar perspective showing the seal assembled with the lidand the applicator removed.

The cast metal journal box includes a bottom wall 1, the forward portionof which curves upwardly at 2, terminating in an outturned lip 3, sidewalls 4, 5 and a top wall 6.

The forward ends of the walls lie in a common plane and define arectangular opening to the box interior for access to the journal I andfor insertion and removal of the usual bearing B and wedge W. Aplate-like metal lid 7 is hinged at 9 to lug 10 on top wall 6 and aspring 12 thrusts the lid toward the ends of the box walls to close theopening as shown in FIG. 1. The side margins 14 of the lid may beinclined to the general plane of the lid to better deflect air currentsfrom the joint between the box and lid.

The seal includes an open rectangular frame 16 of rigid material whichis enclosed in an envelope 17 of rubber-like plastic material whichyields to irregularities in the opposing surfaces of the box and lid andfor this purpose one or both faces of the envelope may be ribbed, asindicated at 18, to yield more readily. A pair of C- shaped clips 19 ofstiif spring metal are secured by rivets 20 or otherwise to each of theupright sides of the frame. Each clip forms a pair of opposing jaws 21,22 urged toward each other at their outer ends but the jaws of each clipmay be pried apart to receive the margin of the lid between them andfirmly grip the lid to maintain assembly of the lid and seal againsttheir separation by any jars, blows or other forces applied directly tothe seal or to the lid. The outer jaw of each clip terminates in areturn bend forming a sleeve 24 the axis of which is substantiallyparallel to the plane of the seal and is aligned with the axis of sleeve24 of the corresponding jaw on the other clip on the same side of theframe.

The above description corresponds generally to that disclosde in Patent3,161,444 except that the patent does not show the rigid frame 16,enveloped by the yielding seal material.

When the seal is applied to the lid, the jaws at one side of the seal(e.g. at the right hand side of FIG. 2) are readily thrust manually overone margin of the lid to the position indicated at the left hand side ofFIG. 3.

To facilitate the mounting and removal of the opposite pair of jaws 19there is provided an applicator tool comprising an elongated rod bentinto a U-shape and having a crosspiece 26 and legs 27 with outturnedends 28 one of which is received in one jaw sleeve 24 as indicated atthe left hand side of FIG. 2 and then the tool is shifted to the brokenline position. The member 26, 27, 28 then becomes a lever which may berotated manually (FIG. 5 in one direction (see arrow A) to fulcrum aboutthe adjacent edge of the lid and spread the jaws apart to receive and,when released, to snap over lid margin 14 and tightly grip the lid andsecurely hold the seal and lid assembled.

To readily disassemble the lid and seal, the lever may be again appliedand rotated in the opposite direction against the lid edge as a fulcrumto spread the jaws so as to release the lid from the jaws and permit thelid to be removed from between them. When not being used to spread theclip jaws apart, the lever is readily detached from the seal by shiftingthe outturned ends to the full line position shown in FIG. 2 anddislodging one end 28 from its engaged sleeve 24 then shifting in thereverse direction to free the other end 28 from the other sleeve.

The structure above described retains the desirable qualities of theseal of the above mentioned patent namely, lightness, low cost andmounting on the box lid to engage the edges of the walls about theopening in the end of the box without machining the lid or bonding orwelding the seal to the lid or using rivets, bolts or other attachingmeans which make it virtually impossible to readily apply a lid seal inthe field or to renew a seal when it has worn out or otherwise needsreplacement, thus avoiding substantial expense for time and equipment.The easy spreading of the clip jaws by the lever only requires a fewseconds and avoids the use of a prying tool on each jaw, or trying tohammer the clips onto or off of the lid which may break the jaws or bendthem out of shape. Ordinarily a single applicator will be included witheach box of seals. It will be understood that a single clip,particularly a wider clip, may be used at the end of the frame insteadof two spaced clips as illustrated. Other details of the structure maybe varied without departing from the spirit of the invention and theexclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of theclaims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination a railway journal box lid seal of rubbenlike material,comprising four wide relatiwely thin side members forming an openrectangular frame, having an outer contour corresponding to the contourof the lid to which it is to be applied,

there being a C-shaped attaching clip of stiff spring material openinginwardly of the frame and including a jaw secured to one side member ofthe frame and an opposing jaw urged toward the first mentioned jaw andmovable away from the latter to receive the marginal portion of the boxlid between the jaws,

a similar attaching clip similarly secured to the opposite side memberof the frame,

and a lever member pivoted on said second mentioned jaw and adapted toengage with the outer edge of the lid and to rotate about the latter asa fulcrum to spread said jaws apart to receive the marginal portion ofthe lid between them.

2. A combination as described in claim 1 in which there are a pair ofC-shaped attaching clips spaced apart on at least one of the twoopposite side members of the frame,

one jaw of each of said pair of clips terminating in a sleeve, thesleeves of the jaws of said pair having a common axis substantiallyparalleling the plane of the frame,

said lever member having elements pivotally engaging said sleeves, saidlever member being engageable with the adjacent edge of the lid as afulcrum and movable manually to force the jaws of both of said pair ofclips apart to permit entrance or removal of the lid to and from betweensaid jaws.

3. A combination as described in claim 1 in which there are a pair ofC-shaped attaching clips spaced apart on at least one of the twoopposite side members of the frame,

one jaw of each of said pair of clips terminating in a sleeve,

the sleeves of the jaws of said pair having a common axis substantiallyparalleling the plane of the frame, there being an elongated U-shapedrod forming said lever member including a cross-piece and a pair of legsextending therefrom with outer ends diverging from each other in thegeneral plane of the crosspiece and legs, and being readily insertablein and removable from said sleeves by moving said leg ends along theframe side member,

said lever member being swingable about the common axis of said sleevesto fulcrum the lever member legs against the adjacent edge of the lidwhereby the jaws of both the associated clips may be forced apart toreceive the adjacent margin of the lid between them.

4. A combination as described in claim 3 in which the distance betweenthe outer ends of the legs is no greater than the distance between theopposing edges of the pair of sleeves, and the lever member isshifta-ble bodily along the frame side member to insert the legterminals into and out of the jaw sleeves.

5. A combination as described in claim 2 in which a relatively rigidmetallic inner frame is enveloped by the frame of rubber-like material,and the spring clip jaws are rigidly secured directly to said metallicinner frame.

6. A combination as described in claim 4 in which the distance betweensaid legs is less than the distance between the opposing edges of saidpair of sleeves, the lever member being slidable bodily along the frameside member toward and away from each of said sleeves alternately toinsert said ends in and to remove said ends from respective sleeves.

FOREIGN PATENTS 361,847 10/1906 France.

MARTIN P. SCHWADRON, Primary Examiner. C. DORITY, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION A RAILWAY JOURNAL BOX LID SEAL OF RUBBER-LIKEMATERIAL, COMPRISING FOUR WIDE RELATIVELY THIN SIDE MEMBERS FORMING ANOPEN RECTANGULAR FRAME, HAVING AN OUTER CONTOUR CORRESPONDING TO THECONTOUR OF THE LID TO WHICH IT IS TO BE APPLIED, THERE BEING A C-SHAPEDATTACHING CLIP OF STIFF SPRING MATERIAL OPENING INWARDLY OF THE FRAMEAND INCLUDING A JAW SECURED TO ONE SIDE MEMBER OF THE FRAME AND ANOPPOSING JAW URGED TOWARD THE FIRST MENTIONED JAW AND MOVABLE AWAY FROMTHE LATTER TO RECEIVE THE MARGINAL PORTION OF THE BOX LID BETWEEN THEJAWS, A SIMILAR ATTACHING CLIP SIMILARLY SECURED TO THE OPPOSITE SIDEMEMBER OF THE FRAME, AND A LEVER MEMBER PIVOTED ON SAID SECOND MENTIONEDJAW AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE WITH THE OUTER EDGE OF THE LID AND TO ROTATEABOUT THE LATTER AS A FULCRUM TO SPREAD SAID JAWS APART TO RECEIVE THEMARGINAL PORTION OF THE LID BETWEEN THEM.